In a September interview, Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg said, “If there was one decision I would overrule, it would be Citizens United. I think the notion that we have all the democracy that money can buy strays so far from what our democracy is supposed to be. …
“I think members of the legislature, people who have to run for office, know the connection between money and influence on what laws get passed.”
The impact of the 2010 decision has trickled down into statehouse politics with an increase in investment from outside-financed groups headlined by Americans for Prosperity, the Koch brothers-backed super political action committee.
“Our job is to … increase public discussion and debate,” Andrew Ogles, director of AFP Tennessee, told Andy Sher of the Chattanooga Times Free Press.
I think that is a disingenuous description.
Just ask Kevin Brooks, R-Cleveland, about the public discussion AFP engendered in his district in January after he came out and said that lawmakers should keep an open mind about Gov. Bill Haslam’s Insure Tennessee plan.
AFP targeted Brooks with radio ads, Sher reported:
“Kevin Brooks promised to fight against Obamacare,” AFP’s 60-second spot charged. “Now he’s fighting for it. Why is Kevin Brooks betraying us?”
Sher’s story is one of (continue reading)